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Empire of Wilkonia and Baja
The Empire of Wilkonia and Baja, commonly referred to as Wilkonia, is a constitutional monarchy comprising the second most southern nation of the Messamerican continent. It is located just to the north of the Incorporated Republic of Tonkin and to the south of the Shinra Republic. It is the host nation for the principal launch facilities of the MESS Space Agency as well as housing the principal offices and lab facilities of BIOCOM. The nation itself is a conglomeration of eight smaller nations and two empires that was formally organied by the Acts of Union in 1496 by what was then the Kingdom of Wilkonia and the Empire of Baja. Today it is the fifth largest nation in terms of land mass and the seventh in terms of population. History The current Empire of Wilkonia and Baja is a conglomeration from the smaller nations of Wilkonia, Baja, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Belieze, El Salvador and Guatemala. During the years after the turn of the last millenium these eight states had succeded in merging into two seperate empires the first, the Kingdom of Wilkonia, comprised all of Wilkonia, Guatemala, Belize and parts of El Salvador. The Empire of Baja spanned that naiton as well as Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras along with the balance of El Salvador. The state of El Salvador represented the split as the last of the ruling family had abdicated in 875 leaving the nation without a clear line of succession. Over the next several centuries the neighboring states would view for supremacy as the vast silver and gold reserves of the nation made even temproary conquest viable. By the 1100s the folding of the smaller states into the two larger Empires was complete excepting El Salvador. The Venesciatian dynasty of Baja and the Calvert Family of Wilkonia both made competing claims to the land and would engage in what is known as the fifty years war from 1216 to 1256 over the territory in question. In the end a temporary government was set up with a dual monarchy both subordiante to the crowns of the two empires ruling over the traditional boundaries of what was El Salvador. It would be another hundred years before the Gingrich Assasination would leave the three immedaite successors to the Baja throne dead and touch off an internal civil war in which the Calverts would intervene and secure El Salvador in totality in return for placing Duke Albrecht of Guyana on the throne. The Duke also took as his wife Princess Maria Calvert de Hucanya. When disease would render the King of Wilkonia sterile not but two decades later the first son of that marriage would be offered the throne of Wilkonia while already sitting on the throne of Baja. Thus in 1451 the Union of Thrones occured placing both Baja and Wilkona under the rule of one monarch though both would maintain seperate Parliaments for the next forty five years. Upon the Acts of Union in 1496 the two legislatures merged into a single body becoming the Parliament of Wilkonia and Baja, the monarch was granted the title of Sovreign over the Empire of Wilkonia and Baja. Over the next several centuries Wilkonia would rise to be one of the foremost seafaring nations of the world bringing it in to contact with the prot-nation that would become the Incorporate Republic of Tonkin and leading to the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Tonkineses Wars fought principally over possession of Panama and influence in the Caymans. After the second such war but before the first world war Wilkonia would become a charter member of the MESS and its leading naval power. Government and Politics National Branches of Government Executive Wilkonia is a Constitutional Monarchy. Within the framework of the “Primoris Jus” the monarch wields power much in the form of the late 18th century and early 19th century kings of Earth. Direct control of the military rests with the King/Queen and he/she retains sole authority as head of State and Government. The Royal House itself consists, by law, of the ruling Monarch and spouse along with all children of the spouse and monarch only (children of a previous marriage or royal bastards while retaining whatever noble titles they may hold do fall under the power of Parliament and are not of the royal house). The household itself is called the Court of St Eustice in reference to the first King of Wilkonia. Ascension to the throne lies with the eldest born child, regardless of gender, upon their marriage following a system of lineal primogeniture descendant from St Eustice. If the eldest child is not married when the monarch dies a regent shall be elected by Parliament until such time as the heir shall marry. Within five years of obtaining their majority if the eldest child, for whom the throne is held, should still not be wed the line of succession shall pass to the next heir in the line of succession. The Monarch also retains sole power to grant all hereditary titles and non-hereditary titles. Legislative Parliament, aside from duties in regards to succession, holds sole power to originate laws (the Monarch may sign or veto but not create) and raise concurrent funds. As such Parliament wields the power of the purse as the Court holds no authority to raise funds aside from its personal income which are, in turn, considered government funds. The land holdings of the Royal House and its income are considered state property in the same manner. However while the House may not raise funds on its own it is not subject to the authority of Parliament. The Parliament itself consists of one house with members both elected and appointed by virtue of title. Any bearer of a Hereditary Peerage or a Royal Title, aside from the royal family, sits permanently in Parliament unless recalled by the Monarch or condemned by a court of peers to be stripped of said title. These titles are greater than a Personal Title, a Personal Title of High Order, and a Life Peerage. The parliament elects from among its membership heads of all the executive departments, subject to the veto of the Monarch, as well as a chief minister who presides over Parliament and serves as chief advocate to the Court. They also hold sole power of judicial appointment though not of military appointment. The exception lies with members of the Royal Court of Appeals who are appointed by the Monarch without control of Parliament. Judiciary The Judiciary is founded upon the principals of common law and is served by three levels of ascending courts separated into civil and criminal courts. The first is tribunal of fact only, the second of law only, and the third a national court of appeal for both fact and law. In all matters appeal to the Monarch is allowed but rarely granted out of deference to the Court. Political Parties There are five major political parties whose membership comrpises roughly 98% of all parliamentary seats are supplemented by seven registered, that is declared and comprising a membership of at least 10,000 persons, minor political parties. Major Political Parties Green: The most left leaning of the political parties. Principal platform items include measures to tax CO2 emissions, promote solar energy and eco-thermal plants, removal of existing nuclear facilities, tax on private automobile purchase, government subsidies for parklands, and halt on all new non-urban development. Labour: The middle-left or semi-left party. They represent the smallest of the major parties. Principal platform items include extension of national healthcare to all occupants (as opposed to legal residents) of the country, major increases in transit and education funding, reduction in defense and aerospace expenditure, publicly funded broadband for everyone, easier unionization rules and requirement for the government to use union labor. Federalist: The center, center-left or center-right (depends on who you talk to) party, comprised principally of fiscally conservative former Labour members and socially liberal former Whigs it is the youngest and largest party. The principal platform items include additional investment in foreign aid, more money for space exploration, higher import tariffs, strong Navy ( no statement in regard to the other 4 branches). Whig: Socially neutral descendant of the Tory party in the 1800s. After the First Tonkin War in 1874 the Whigs and Republicans split from the Tory party with the former supporting colonial integration of the army and the later opposing it. The principal platform items include reduced government spending, reduced taxation, free trade, a strong Marine Corps and Air Force, removal of barriers to non-union contractors, international treaty on ending currency speculation, end of government subsidized retirement. Republican: The socially conservative descendant of the Tory party they opposed the integration of colonial units into the Wilkonian Army after the First Tonkin War. Principal platform items include amendment banning flag burning, amendment defining a marriage as between a man and a woman, free trade, reduced or flat taxation rate, end of capital gains taxes, and support for the Wilkonian Army. Minor Parties There are 7 nationally registered "minor" parties and another 25 parites who are not nationally registered, that is they do not have a party memberhsip system for nomination and election to Parliament, but do hold offices at the local and county level. Most notable among the minor parties are the Wilkonian Nationalist Party, a far-right ultra-nationalist and natavist party and its obverse the Wilkonian Workers and Farmers Collective Prosperity Party (commonly called the Communist Party) has called for government seizure of most private business and a redistributive tax of 100% on all incomes over $200,000 ROBs. Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Wilkonia consist of five of the eight uniformed services of the Empire as well as the civilian employess of the Ministry of Defense and Department Homeland Security (a branch of the Home Office). All told it includes more than 3.45 million persons counting those who serve in a reserve or part-time capacity but excluding contractors. Geography Wilkonian comprises roughly 2.5 million km^2 of land not including certain minor offlying islands. The country is divided by a series of mountains comprising the southern half of the Continental Divide of Messamerica. In the north of the country it runs more to the western half creating a shallow pocket of dense foliage and population of the Eastern Shore of the Gulf of Baja. South of that point the range runs closer to bisecting the country creating a region of tropical highlands and jungles crisscrossed by a series of rivers and major lakes that still support a suprisingly vibrant canal system. In the two southernmost provinces the mountains veer back westward relative to the bisecting line and eventually terminate into a series of cliffs facing south where the southernmost province (Panama) shifts its South coastline to run roughly along the 9th Parallel. The southern portion of the province before the Straights of Tonkin comprise a low tropical plain descending into a huge series of marshes and wetlands excepting the commercially improved section from the southernmost coast north for 7-10 miles. Demography Population Ethnic Groups Languages Religion Principaly comprised of Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian Christians, Reform and Modern Orthodox Judaism, and Deobani and Barelwi schools of Islam. The Sovereign and Court are required, by vow before coronation, to uphold the traditions of Lutheranism though as a practice Lutherans comprised a bare plurality of Christian churches and roughly the same plurality amongst all faiths. Christian sects comprise roughly 28% of citizens, Jewish sects 12% and Islamic sects 19%, the rest are unaffiliated/aesthist/agnostic (20%) or in minor groups (Zorastrianism for instance claims 5%) Economy The Empire of Wilkonia and Baja is currently the 4th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP as calculated by the Purchasing Power Parity metric. The 6.21T ROB total figure for 2015 represents a net increase over the nominal figure of 5.89T. The discrepency is largely explained by the ROB being used as a reserve currency in most minor nations given its wide adoption and huge economic base (the ROBzone has a nominal GDP in excess of 42T). Wilkonia is the worlds largest producer of silver and the third largest producer of pig iron though only the fourth largest produce of finished steel products by weight. This is due in large part to the modest import needs in terms of molybedenum, chromium, zinc, tungsten, titanium and other alloying metals. While all of them are found locally Wilkonia imports a notable percentage largely through an intricate series of I/E concerns in the Caymans from the Incorporate Republic of Tonkin or through less byzantine routes from the Shinra Republic and Cascadia. The nation is also the fifth largest producer of uranium world wide but produces a larger share of commercialy utilized plutonium in its breeder reactors than the rest of the top five (speculation as to this discrepency has only been heightened by recent weapons test performed by many nations). Conversely on the strategic minerals front Wilkonia is a net major importer of petroleum depending mostly upon Alaska and Tian Xia to supply its needs but also sourcing supplies on the Old Continent in paticular for LNG. The port of Savage on the east coast holds the worlds largest LNG import terminal (as well as the shipyards where the world's largest LNG carriers are produced). Healthcare The Government funds a full national health system administered by the Ministry of Health which pays for all expenses related to routine and emergency health care. Certainly optional procedures are covered as well. The Wilkonian Association of Doctors and Nurses, by law, serves as the determining body for classification of necessary and voluntary procedures. A board composed of 12 Doctors and 7 Nurses selected by the Association membership on a four year rotational cycle serves as the final determining authority. Currently National Health Expenditures consist of 3.8% of GDP and is the third largest governmental expense behind Retirement Insurance and Defense spending. The Government’s Retirement Insurance program provides a stipend to ensure income stability at cost of living +10% to all persons of at least 70 years of age. Previous year income filings are utilized by the Treasury to determine following year stipend allowances. The allowances are counted as income for the following year’s tax purposes. Total program cost is currently equivalent to 7% of the GDP though expectations are continuing retirement trends will push the number to exceed military spending by FY25. Notes and references Category:MESS Nations Category:Nations Category:Wilkonia Category:Player-Character Nations Category:American Continent Nations